The Party
by actionman81
Summary: When Daniel tries to surprise Peggy before their wedding, he gets a shock of his own. Can Peggy handle things?


1948

New York

"You've got to do it, Peggy" Angie Martinelli coerced her best friend, Peggy Carter  
Angie and Peggy sat on a couch in one of Howard Stark's residences. That's what it was, technically, though for all intents and purposes, the two women lived there, and Edwin and Ana Jarvis helped out from time to time.  
"I'm not sure, Angie" Peggy hesitated, "I feel rather – odd about it, strange as it seems"  
"Strange? Peggy, you only get married once" Angie pushed the issue  
"I never did anything like this in London" Peggy recalled her previous engagement party, which was far more sedate, and involved both sides of the engagement party, men as well as women.  
"Well, this is America. It's time to live it up" Angie grinned  
"A – hen party?" Peggy imagined chickens running around the Howard's residence. Angie had stayed there since the problem at The Griffith, and had taken care of things while Peggy had gone to Los Angeles.  
"Sure, just like the boys have, except it'll be us girls. One night of fun before you tie the knot"  
Peggy smiled. Daniel had only just proposed a few short weeks ago, and she'd had to hurriedly move back to New York. The powers that be hadn't wanted two agents to both be in a relationship as well as work together daily. Both Peggy and Daniel had been disheartened by that news. So, Peggy was back at the New York SSR  
"Couldn't we just have a bridesmaids luncheon?" Peggy suggested  
"Is this Peggy Carter talking?" Angie stared incredulously at her friend  
"Angie, you know how my work is; we both do" Peggy started, "Something so extravagant might arouse attention"  
"I know" Angie patted her friend's hand, "But I'm still your maid of honor, and by golly, I can't let you do this without doing something that does justice to you"  
Peggy smiled, genuinely, she felt so glad, so reassured to have a friend like Angie in her life.  
"Besides" Angie grinned, "it's too late for me to cancel what I've already ordered"  
"Ordered?" Peggy looked slightly startled. Being a secret agent was quite enough work, without any more surprises looming on the horizon  
"Just leave everything to me" Angie had a knowing look in her eye

The next day, at the SSR, things hadn't exactly veered from the everyday,  
"I need something enlarged" Jack Thompson walked from his office, into the bullpen with a file in his hand  
"Are you alright, darling?" Peggy said with mock concern, "They have specialists for that, you know"  
"The file" Thompson glared at her, "I'm still the Chief here, and you'll have to respect me, regardless if you'll be Mrs. Sousa in a couple of weeks"  
"Of course you are, Chief Thompson, and I'm sure you and your girlfriend will be more than happy to attend the wedding"  
"Sure" Thompson grumbled.  
"I've patched things up with Violet" Peggy explained  
"I know" Thompson sighed, "I'm starting to think it was better when you two didn't want to talk to each other"  
"You're quite entitled to your opinion, Chief Thompson, and if you'd like that file enlarged, I'm sure. Dr. Samberly would be more than willing to assist you"  
Thompson said something unintelligible and left the room, file in hand.  
Peggy sat down at her desk. Displayed among the files, paperwork, writing implements and other office paraphernalia were two framed photographs. One was a photo of Steve Rogers, before his super solider serum treatment. The other was a photograph of Daniel Sousa, taken during the war, before he'd been injured and his leg had been amputated. At one time, Peggy had hoped that she'd marry Steve, if their relationship had been able to go on. They'd certainly been intimate, though Steve had still been on duty then, and given his values, he had been holding out for her. Peggy sniffed back a tear. It still hurt, thinking about him, Steve, but it would hurt more to completely put him out of her mind.  
She glanced at the photo of Daniel. How their relationship had changed. Of course, he'd been infatuated with her, figuratively putting her up on a pedestal, and then lashing out once he thought that she'd had Agent Krzeminski killed. After she'd been cleared- after she'd cleared herself, Daniel had immediately gone back to carrying his torch for her.  
They'd had their pitfalls in their relationship, even as friends, and once they'd finally admitted their feelings for each other, in a manner of speaking, things between them had become more—well no, things had been quite grounded between them once they had begun working through the Isodyne Energy case, and they both had had issues to work through.  
Peggy looked up to see Jack Thompson stalk back to his office, file in hand. His and Violet's relationship had been something of a page turner as well. Jack had been shot, and whoever had done that was still at large. It was part of the current caseload that both offices, in New York and Los Angeles, had been working on in tandem. Jack had been shot, and Peggy supposed that thankfully, rather than Jack having died that day, he was later rushed to the hospital, underwent surgery to extract the bullet, and woke up to find a pretty blonde nurse staring back at him. Much like her relationship with Daniel, Violet managed to break through Jack's hard exterior to find his apparently hard interior. Peggy wasn't sure if Jack had ever mentioned the actuality of his overseas tour during the military to Violet, as he'd done to her one night as they flew back from Russia after a mission. Peggy and Jack weren't exactly friends now, and he never gave up a chance to remind her that he was in charge at SSR New York, but they certainly weren't out and out enemies, either. Complicated, she shrugged, and put her concentration back on her work.

Los Angeles

Daniel Sousa leaned back in his airline seat. His crutch rested against his knee. "She'll be surprised" he hadn't wanted to tell Peggy that he'd taken a little time off of work. Things had been slow that week, thankfully, or he'd have had to rush down just in time for the wedding. He hoped that the extra few days would give them a chance to catch up. He smiled, hoping for more than just a lot of dialogue for the weekend

New York

When Peggy arrived home that night, Angie was practically heading out the door  
"What is happening?" Peggy was concerned about her friend  
"Work, you know how it is. I'll try to be back as soon as I can" Angie called as she rushed out the door.  
Peggy understood perfectly. In the year's span of time, between the Red Room case having closed, and Peggy's return from Los Angeles to New York, Angie had been quite busy. She had, upon confirming that Peggy was a secret agent, had ditched her father's proposal for secretary school, and had, as an offshoot of continuing her acting career, opted to join the SSR. Her acting skills were put to good use, first as a silent observer, gaining information surreptitiously, and later being assigned more in depth missions. Upon Peggy's return to New York, Angie disclosed everything, and the two women easily returned to their previous living arrangement. Neither was sure what would happen once Peggy and Daniel were married, but they both hoped for the best. They were best friends, after all.

Peggy sighed. Today, the office, as it were, had been harder than usual. The bullpen had been abuzz with the talk about the upcoming marriage, but where Daniel in Los Angeles had had cake and all around good natured compliments last year with his then-engagement to Violet, the talk occurring around Peggy that day had involved whether she'd still be working after her marriage to Daniel.  
"So, how long before there's some more agents on the way?" Flynn had asked her  
"I beg your pardon?"She glared at him  
"You know, after love comes marriage, and then-"  
Peggy cut off his words, "I am quite familiar that particular schoolyard rhyme" and stalked off, livid at the men in her department.  
Angie caught up with her, and they spoke in a corner of the bullpen, "I had an idea" Angie began, "Have you seen that movie, Gilda; it had Rita Hayworth in it"  
"I'm afraid that I haven't" Peggy confessed  
"What if you could get something like that, but a man?" Angie's eyes were as large and round as saucers  
"I'm sorry, what?" Peggy was confused  
"Fellahs get to see women do all sorts of things when they go off on bachelor parties" Angie explained, "Heck, maybe Daniel and his friends are doing that now"  
Peggy frowned, as an image of Daniel apparently enjoying women disrobing in front of him. While she wasn't exactly jealous, the thought of him being somewhere like that simply felt not right, much like the first and second bowls of porridge for Goldilocks.  
"I was hoping you'd say yes" Angie sighed, "I sort of already called someone. He'll be here tonight"  
"Tonight? To do what, wiggle his naughty bits in front of me when I'm supposed to walk down the aisle in a few days?"  
"I can't exactly call him to cancel" Angie looked hurt, or annoyed, "What would I say, gee, my best friend changed her mind and didn't want to live a little for once in her life?"  
"Angie, I live my life every single day, just as you do, and you might agree that it's quite exciting"  
"I know you'll be faithful to Daniel" Angie smiled warmly, "but one night won't ruin things. Besides, wasn't he engaged to someone before you?"  
"Violet" Peggy explained, "but that's over, and she and I are – well, I suppose friends"  
"Great, then ask her to come to the party, too"

After much turbulence, a bumpy landing, and some delay with the security, Daniel hobbled past the gift shops that punctuated the airport halls. To his left, a salesgirl smiled and sprayed him with a foul smelling perfume  
"It's the latest thing" she cooed  
Daniel glared at her. Red hair that looked like it came out of a bottle, with lipstick that matched. He coughed when she sprayed him a second time  
"I'm fine" he cleared his throat  
"Perhaps another time" she called out.  
Daniel made a determined path towards the exit. He simply had to see Peggy  
Back at the perfume counter, the salesgirl smiled to herself and pocketed the perfume.  
"Everything is going according to plan" she spoke to nobody around her, rather to herself.

Peggy slipped off her heels and lay on the couch. She'd barely closed her eyes when the doorbell rang. "Bloody Norah! It must be whatever surprise Angie had prepared" she sighed to herself. Wearily, she rose from her relaxation and headed to the door, her hand on her pistol, just to be safe. Peggy looked through the glass on the door,  
"Ms. Carter" Edwin Jarvis peered through the embedded window on the front door, "Ms. Martinelli suggested that I come over to assist with planning your soiree"  
"I see" Peggy opened the door, and let Jarvis in. He seemed quite excited, as he glanced around the hall and then the living room, reacquainting himself with the premises so he could better decorate for the party.  
"You do know that this is for a bridesmaid's party, Mr. Jarvis?"  
"Of course" he smiled, displaying several issues of Brides magazine, "Ana likes to keep some reading material on hand"  
"Why didn't Angie suggest that Ana help out?" Peggy looked quite confused  
"Shall we say that I have a rather keen eye for decorating?" he smiled  
"Very well"

In a secluded area, Dottie Underwood spoke into a pay phone, "Everything is just as we'd hoped" she smiled, "Sousa is currently on his way to see her. Soon, there'll be nothing left. I sprayed him with abundance. We'll see the effects soon enough"

At the residence, Peggy looked exasperated as Edwin Jarvis was contemplating pink versus white for a color theme  
"Pink may seem a bit bold, and one marries but once. Then again, white is traditional"  
"I suppose it is" Peggy sighed  
The doorbell rang again, and Jarvis smiled and leapt to answer it  
"Oh my" he peered through the door's embedded window, "It seems to be Chief Sousa" he opened the door, "Now, now; isn't it bad luck to see the bride before-"  
Sousa leaned on his crutch and punched Jarvis straight in the face  
Jarvis, for his part, stayed down. It was safer for the moment.  
Sousa walked like a man possessed. He made a beeline for Peggy.  
"Daniel" Peggy's voice showed both fear as well as anger at seeing Jarvis laid out on the floor like a rag doll at Sousa's handiwork  
Daniel raised his crutch like a baton, but Peggy caught it as he lowered it to use against her. She gripped the crutch and forced it back. Daniel winced, since his arm was still held in place both by the forearm bracket, and by his grip on the crutch. She shoved him away and retreated back to the couch. He made his approach toward her; he walked steadily with purpose.  
Peggy had to act fast. Whatever had happened to him, Daniel wasn't being himself, and he was obviously quite dangerous.  
He was almost on her. Peggy whipped out her pistol and shot Daniel, not at his chest or torso, but at his leg, his prosthetic leg. The force of the bullet sent the leg twisting on the socket at an odd angle, and Daniel fell to the ground. He moved like what he was, a wounded man. Peggy couldn't bring herself to shoot him again, but she grabbed a decorative candlestick off a shelf behind her, and slammed it down on Daniel's head. The man lay, out cold, just as Jarvis regained consciousness.  
"Quick, give me some rope, something to tie him with" Peggy instructed a groggy Jarvis  
Jarvis took some of the curtain ties and handed them to her. Peggy deftly tied up her fiancé, even going to the trouble of removing his prosthetic leg and his crutch, lest he use them as weapons upon waking.  
"We have to get him to the SSR, and get Samberly's help" Peggy grabbed Daniel's torso, under his arms, and began trying to drag him out the front door. Jarvis grabbed Daniel's leg, and helped her carry the unconscious man out towards Jarvis' car. The two stared at the back door of the vehicle, but Peggy pointed to the rear of the car.  
"Or I have a man stashed in the boot" Peggy recalled how she had tried to pull the wool over Daniel's eyes in Los Angeles, after apprehending Rufus Hunt and trying to convince Daniel that the sounds emanating from the car's trunk was a possum. Today, Daniel would have to be that man locked in the trunk.  
"One, two, three" Peggy and Jarvis counted down together and then lifted the still comatose Sousa into the car's trunk. Peggy sighed, looked at her beloved fiancé, who'd just tried to kill her, slammed the trunk shut and deftly locked it.

Daniel Sousa awoke at SSR, lashed to his bed with padded handcuffs, his prosthetic leg off of his stump. He sat bolt upright and had a look of horror on his face. "Peggy" he gasped  
She sat on a chair next to the hospital grade bed, "I'm alright" she sighed, "I'm more concerned about you"  
"I don't know what came over me" he sighed, "I'm sorry, Peggy, I'm so sorry" he apologized  
"Daniel" she leaned closer, "All I'm worried about right now is finding out why you behaved the way that you did" she took his hand, still chained to the bed, in hers, "What happened from the time you left the office in Los Angeles?"  
"I was in a rush, because I wanted to surprise you" he thought aloud, "some of the guys at the office thought that a bachelor's party was the best thing to do, and I figured a night of fun wouldn't be too bad, but I wanted to see you, talk with you, and I didn't want to do it over the phone"  
"So you took a flight to New York" she smiled, "go ahead" she unshackled his wrists  
"I was in the airport. There was a delay over something, and I was trying to get a taxi" he recalled, "and there was a lady who sprayed me with some horrible perfume"  
"A spray?" Peggy stared at him  
Daniel realized what she was referring to, "The Midnight Oil"  
"Exactly" Peggy nodded, "it would seem that whoever did this, managed to modify the formula"  
"Could Howard have been compromised?"  
"Hardly; Howard is a lot of things, a liar, a cheat, and womanizer, but he has some integrity"  
"Some?"  
"I didn't say it was very much"  
"If the formula was modified, how did they manage it?" Daniel looked puzzled  
"You mean, why?" Aloysius Samberly strode into the room, practically on cue, "Why were you targeted, is beyond my reasoning, but, why were you affected by the gas, that, I can answer" he stopped by the hospital bed, "The chemical compound seemed to be designed to take into consideration a person's dopamine levels, how much of it that they were producing" apparently, he'd been transferred to the New York department  
"What?" Sousa looked confused  
"Of course" Peggy realized what Samberly was talking about, "couples who are said to be in love usually have high levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine. The chemical stimulates the famous desire and reward response by triggering an intense rush of pleasure. I would imagine that smoking would have much of the same effect on the brain"  
"You'd be right in thinking that" Samberly agreed  
"I read a paper by Dr. Kathleen Montagu"  
"The lady is quite well read" Samberly grinned  
"The agent is quite well read" Peggy corrected him  
"In any case" Samberly went on, "judging by these readings on the residual gas remnants we were able to test, it looks like whoever sprayed you, Agent Sousa, wanted you to attack the person that you loved the most"  
Daniel looked horribly embarrassed  
"There's only one person that I know of, who isn't rotting in jail, who would be so insidious" Peggy scowled, "Dottie Underwood"  
Samberly left the room quietly, his work having finished.  
Daniel agreed, "I didn't get a good look at the salesgirl, but sure, it could be her"  
"Who else would target you like that?"  
"Fennhoff?" Daniel guessed  
"True, but he's locked away" Peggy rationalized, "and if you were sprayed in New York, then she's still here in the city. We haven't got a moment to lose" she readied herself to track down Dottie.  
"If she's in the city, there are a few places she might be" Peggy spoke aloud to herself, "she might visit a dance theatre, as she's said in the past that she was a dancer" Peggy remembered their first meeting, and something that Howard had said about meeting a woman named Ida.  
"Peggy" Daniel ventured. Peggy stopped speaking and turned to her fiancé, "this might have been a trial run"  
She knew exactly what he meant, "She might plan to unleash the new formula over New York City"  
"Like before" Daniel referred to Fennhoff's plot to unleash the original Midnight Oil over the city, in hopes of pure pandemonium in retaliation for his brother's death at the battle of Finow.  
"Precisely" Peggy smiled, "Now we just have to pinpoint where she might be and how soon she plans to release it, if at all" Peggy left the room to find a phone box to make a telephone call  
Daniel was left with his thoughts. He glanced over the edge of the bed and saw his leg leaning against the wall. His prosthetic leg.  
"Why, Peggy?" he sighed. Nobody was there to listen at the moment, "Why say yes to me, when I'm just – like this?" he stared absently at his artificial leg, propped up.

Elsewhere, "Let's hope the plan worked" Dottie spoke to her unseen co-conspirator  
She waited a beat, "No, I don't care if he's messy. I want him to do his job"  
Another beat, "How am I supposed to know if he's done it? I suppose the newspaper will print a story tomorrow"

Peggy headed upstairs, to the façade of the New York Bell company and got the receptionist- agent to patch a call through to Los Angeles.  
In LA, Rose, looking weary, sat behind the front desk while a man stood before her and did a very poor ventriloquist act.  
"I'm sorry" she sighed, "You're just not right for the Auerbach Theatrical Agency" she shooed him away. The man, doll in hand, looked dejected as he left the office.  
She answered the phone right away, "Auerbach Theatrical Agency"  
"Rose" Peggy began, "although the agency isn't real, do you actually have access to dance troupes in the city?"  
"In Los Angeles, you can't throw a stone without hitting one"  
"No no" Peggy retracted, "in New York"  
"Hold on a minute" Rose rifled some papers, and Peggy heard the sound of an immense phone book being thumped onto the desk  
"There's one close by you" Rose began rattling off an address, but Peggy stopped her  
"One moment" she interjected, "Rose, if you suddenly came back to New York, what would you want more than anything?"  
"Probably to kick off my shoes and lay down"  
"Precisely" Peggy agreed, "she won't be at a dance hall, she'll go home"  
Peggy said her quick goodbyes, and hung up. She knew exactly where Dottie would be

At the apartment that had belonged to Ida Emke, Dottie sat on the bed and cradled the canister in her arms as though it were a baby. "You did a great job" she cooed to it, "And now that Peggy's dead, I can keep trying to destroy the SSR and everything it stands for" she smiled

Peggy stuck her head into the doorway of the SSR laboratory, "Could I bother you for a moment, Dr. Samberly?"  
"Of course" he grinned, eager for any attention  
"I've got to dash out for a spot, but could I trouble you for - ?" she saw what she wanted  
"Oh that?" Samberly looked preoccupied, "Sure, go ahead, take it"  
"Thank you" Peggy snatched it off the shelf, flashed a smile, and was down the hallway before he could reply

Peggy remembered Ida Emke's apartment from when Jarvis and she had searched all the women who'd been given a bracelet from Howard Stark. She was about to forcibly enter the door, when she felt a pair of eyes looking at her. She spun around and saw a rotund little boy staring at her.  
"Hello" she smiled  
The boy stood there and said nothing  
"Why don't you go out and play?" she suggested  
The boy silently licked his lollipop  
"Alright" Peggy opened the front door and gave the boy a gentle shove out, and deftly closed the door behind him.  
She turned, sized up the door, and gave it a swift kick. The door splintered off its hinges and crashed to the floor. Peggy rushed in, not sure exactly what to expect.  
Dottie sat on the bed, smiling placidly, apparently waiting for her  
"What took you so long, Peggy?"  
Peggy eyed the canister in Dottie's hands, "What do you intend to do with that?"  
"In the event that your beloved couldn't do his job, I guessed that I'd need some insurance"  
"Why?" Peggy spat out  
Dottie knew exactly what she meant, "Oh Peggy, it's such a pity, that two accomplished women should be standing on opposite sides"  
Peggy momentarily thought back to Whitney Frost, who'd said essentially the same thing to her  
"We are not the same"  
"Aren't we?" Dottie cocked her head to the side, "in any case, it wasn't too hard to tap into the travel agent's phone line and find out when your Daniel was planning to come surprise you. From there, it was only a small bit of calculating when his flight would land, and where I would need to be in order to do my part in the matter"  
"Your part in the matter? There are more people involved?" Peggy touched her purse  
"Don't even think of pulling out your gun" Dottie brandished the canister  
"You suppose that spraying me with that would cause me to go gouge out Daniel's eyes, as you'd hoped he'd do to me?"  
"Perhaps" Dottie smiled widely  
Peggy kicked the canister out of Dottie's hands. The silver cylinder made a wide arc, and slammed against the far wall. The gas escaped.  
In one move, Peggy opened her purse and whipped on a minimalist gas mask, courtesy of Dr. Samberly  
Immune to the gas, Peggy saw Dottie choke and sputter on the fumes. A harsh, wild look came over her, and she lunged at Peggy, prepared to kill her with her bare hands. Peggy was no slouch, and punched and kicked her way to freedom. Dottie fell back after Peggy drove a particularly sharp kick into Dottie's torso. Peggy backed out of the open doorway, not to retreat, but to gain momentum. She rushed forward, knocked Dottie off her feet, and slammed her back into the far wall of the apartment. Finally knocked unconscious, Dottie slumped to the ground, lifeless as the rag doll that Peggy had played with as a girl.  
Peggy tore strands from the apartment's curtains and lashed Dottie's arms and legs together, separately. Now, in the stillness, after having radioed for backup to transport Dottie, Peggy was alone with her thoughts.  
Had Dottie loved her? Clearly, she'd meant to take advantage of Daniel and Peggy's relationship, but having attacked her, could that mean that Dottie loved her, even in a similar manner to how Daniel loved her? Anything was possible.

Back at SSR, Peggy was glad to see Daniel standing up again. His leg had been reattached, and he stood, leaning on his crutch, and smiled when she entered the room  
He took her hand, and she began explaining Dottie's attack.  
"Wow, that's something" he seemed surprised, "then again, I can't blame her"  
"For attacking me?" Peggy looked at him incredulously  
"For loving you" he smiled  
Peggy looked at him, the man she truly loved, the man she wanted by her side as together, they fought evil.  
Daniel's smile faded  
"What's the matter?"  
Daniel took her hand and led her to a quiet corner, away from Jack Thompson, and other agents, "Are you sure you want to do this?"  
"Do what? Marry you?" Peggy looked aghast  
"Sure, I mean, I'm – I'm" he faltered  
"Daniel Sousa" she squeezed his hand in hers, "Yes. Yes, I want to marry you. Yes, someday I'd even like to have children with you, but most of all, I want you by my side as we're working at ridding the world of evil, because – because I trust you, far more than I trust anyone else, and I can't think of anyone else that I want next to me, for marriage, and daily life, and anything else that life decides to hurl my way. Are we settled now?"  
"Absolutely" he smiled  
"Now one last thing" she leaned forward, "and you can't veto this"  
"Sure" he shrugged  
"I want Angie to be my maid of honor"  
"Of course" Daniel grinned, "you're doing amazing things, Peggy, and I know there's so much more ahead for you"  
"Do you?" there was a twinkle in her eye  
"I've got a hunch" he shrugged, "just – I" he sighed, "I don't want to be one of those – those" he fidgeted with his fingers, "You'll be doing amazing things, and I'll be at home" his voice trailed off  
"At home?" she frowned, "Do you honestly think that I see you as some sort of kept man, a househusband?"  
Daniel opened his mouth, but no words, no sounds came out  
"Did you not just hear me?" she was both angry and smiling, incongruous as it were, "I want you by my side, in the thick of it, as it's been for the past few years. Angie is my best friend, and I do love her, and I'm awe struck that she's an agent now, but you, you were there for me, when nobody else here was. You held that torch for so long" she smiled  
"It's still burning for you"  
"And now, it's got the truth as well"  
"That it does"  
They walked off together, down the hallway, "You don't plan on asking Jack to be your best man, do you?"  
"The only way that would happen is if that gas made me think of the person I hate the most" he laughed


End file.
